Cold Oats with Dried Fruit and Nuts

‘He looked at his watch, astonished how the months had fallen out of it.” –The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx

This summer has flown by in a happy, hectic whirl. Amidst the excitement and busy-ness, there have been a few constants. Warm, heavy evenings interrupted only by the crack of the bat and the roar of a crowd while listening to the Detroit Tigers on the radio. Letting the dog out, then in, then out again. The slow summer rhythm of the neighborhood, with neighbors spilling out on porches and long, spontaneous chats while walking the pup. Drew’s wet waders slung over the white pipe railing of the back porch to dry, oozing tales of trout or simple tales of a good wade down a stream (“That’s why they call it fishing, not catching,” he reminds me). The communion of friends sharing meals and stories under the twinkle fairy lights on our back patio. Saturday mornings bumping into friends and talking with our farmers at the market. The sweetness of a good night kiss shared. Cold oatmeal for breakfast.

We have eaten cold oatmeal nearly every morning over the last four months. And yet, each day I wake up looking forward to it in its many variations. Soon the warm months will have moved on and we’ll be switching back to oatmeal in other forms, oat bran, cooked rolled oats, baked oats, oatmeal griddle cakes.

Cold oats can, and have, been enjoyed in our household in every which way. On a Saturday morning in summertime, in a patch of sunlight on the back stoop, glasses still on, hair wild, eyelids heavy, one hand thumbing through a cooking magazine. On a Tuesday morning, racing to get out the door to work, spoon in one hand, blow dryer in the other. At the desk at work, typing with one hand, eating a greatly anticipated breakfast with the other. At the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula at a campground, coffee bubbling in the percolator on the camp stove, a morning fire in the fire pit, reading the What’s U.P.? paper, a hodgepodge of odd news and Upper Peninsula real estate. On a Sunday, listening to our BBC radio drama, The Archers, and drinking our pour-over coffees.

Cold oatmeal (aka Muesli) has been a constant in these moments over the warm spring and summer months. It has been both a breakfast made for the simplicity and the quickness of it, and a breakfast made for the enjoyment of it. Some of the best meals are the simplest and this is an excellent example.

Because oatmeal is such a constant in my life, it has become the unsung hero of my mornings. I have not thought to post about cold oats until this post came about, opting to write about more savory, later-in-the-day meals instead. But how could I not share this beloved meal with you?

Cold oatmeal can be made in a huge variety of ways, whatever suits your tastes or pantry at the moment. The formula I usually follow is oats, almond milk, dried fruit, nuts, maple syrup. Occasionally if the fruit is good I’ll stir in some fresh peaches, blueberries, raspberries, figs, or plums but usually I enjoy dried fruit, soaked in the oat mixture over night.

One of the best things about this breakfast is that it is a huge time saver. The night before, you simply put old-fashioned rolled oats into a jar or bowl, cover with just under twice as much plant-based or animal-based milk, any additions you want, and place back in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you don’t need to lift a finger (or turn on the stove if the day is a hot one) to enjoy a filling and satisfying breakfast. Convinced? Follow the easiest-recipe-in-the-world below and you’ll be singing its praises too.

Cold Oats With Dried Fruit and Nuts

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 and 3/4 cup almond milk, soy milk, or cow’s milk

3-4 dates, chopped

2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

1 Tbsp maple syrup, optional (some folks are happy with the sweetness of the fruit without additional sweetener)

Thank you so so much, Aura, for the idea of preparing this the night before! Oats are my every morning salvation and I love the idea of saving a wee bit of time before work and getting the kiddos off to school–brilliant idea!!!

Thanks for the comment, Elise! I never thought I would eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast but the last few years it has been my constant. I want it even more than my cup of coffee in the morning. Healthy, filling, and I never get bored with it, especially with all of the variations.

Aura, I’m excited to try your version of cold oatmeal. I’ve been eating cold oatmeal for breakfast for over a year and a half, almost every morning, and never tire of it. I make a big batch that lasts the week, for my husband and myself, using 3 cups dry old-fashioned oats. I cook up dried cherries, dried cranberries, orange essence prunes, bananas, apples, toasted almonds, and walnuts, with the oats, in water; but here is where the magic comes in- I add lots of curry, (about 1 T.) and about 1-1.5 t. turmeric, cinnamon, cumin and sometimes a little bit of cardamom. Sounds crazy, but it is absolutely delicious! It doesn’t need any sweetening, as the fruits sweeten it perfectly. It’s like a party in a bowl and the spices have plenty of healing properties as a bonus. You can also add chia seeds, flax seeds, etc. Really the possibilities are endless. I put almond milk on it when I serve it, and sometimes add additional fresh fruit to it- peaches, blueberries… It’s time to make another batch and I’m going to try your no-cook method and see if it works using my recipe. I’ll report back!

Hello again, Aura. Reporting back- this is absolutely delicious! I think I like it even better than my cooked version. The flavors of the fruits and nuts are much fresher and brighter than in my cooked version. The dried fruits all plumped up nicely during the overnight soak, (I added a bit more almond milk, anticipating that). The curry seems to have more of a bite/heat using this uncooked method- perhaps cooking tames it(?), but it isn’t over-bearing and it’s so full of nice, bright flavors! Thanks for sharing this method of preparing oatmeal! I added all my usual suspects plus a sliced peach, all put together last night, and ready to go this morning- the flavors melded beautifully! Thank you!
p.s. for each cup of oatmeal I use a small handful of each of the dried fruits-cherry, cranberry, cut up orange essence prunes, toasted almonds, walnuts, one small banana, one small apple, 1 t. curry and a 1/2 t. each turmeric, cumin and cinnamon.

I am so glad you liked it like this, Patty! I’m gong to try your version this weekend. We have been so busy I’m on auto-pilot at the end of the night just throwing together the basic version I do with dates, nuts, and almond milk. This weekend I’ll have more time to experiment and your version sounds like something I’d really enjoy!

Oops! I should have mentioned to not add the toasted walnuts and almonds until after the oats/fruits are done cooking, so they stay crunchy!
Hope you love it as much as I do. I decided I like the cooked and then chilled version better, since I use those spices- I think they may need cooking to blend and mellow….